CHAPTER IV--BERT IN DANGER
Flossie and Freddie were so surprised at the strange action on the partof the ragged boy that they hardly knew what to do. Flossie looked atFreddie and Freddie looked at his sister, and then they looked at thestrange boy and girl.
"You let her alone, an' you let me alone!" ordered the ragged boy. "Iain't done nothin', an' she ain't done nothin'!"
"You shouldn't say 'ain't,' 'cause it ain't--I mean it _isn't_ a goodword. Our teacher says so," Flossie quickly admonished the strange boy.
"Well, I don't care what I say, you oughtn't to drive us away fromlookin' in this winder," objected the boy. "Nice smells comes out; andwhen you ain't--I mean when you _isn't_ got any money to buy candy, youcan smell it!"
Flossie and Freddie looked at each other in surprise. To be so poor thatone had to "smell" candy instead of eating it, was to be poor indeed!Flossie opened her fat chubby hand and looked at the two moist penniesclutched there. Freddie did the same. Then the small Bobbsey twins, withone accord, held out the money to the boy and girl.
"Here," said Freddie. "Take it!"
"Mine too!" added Flossie. "You can buy candy with it!"
For a moment the ragged boy and girl did not know what to say. Then asmile came over the boy's face. His fist unclenched, and his sistersmiled too.
"You mean this--for us?" he asked.
"Sure!" answered Freddie. "We don't need candy, and we'll feel good forThanksgivin'!"
"Oh, I'm going to buy two lollypops!" cried the ragged girl.
"I want gum!" said the boy, and into the store they disappeared.
Freddie drew a long breath.
"I--I feel happy, don't you?" he asked Flossie.
"Yes," she answered. "I--I guess I do! Anyhow, we can ask mother formore pennies when we go home."
"Let's take them home for Thanksgiving," suggested Freddie.
"You mean that ragged boy and girl?" asked Flossie.
"Yes. Miss Pompret is going to feed some poor, and we can feed some atour house. Let's take 'em home," went on Freddie.
"Oh, that will be fine!" Flossie agreed. "Let's!"
When they came out of the candy store the ragged boy and his sister, whoat first thought Flossie and Freddie had wanted to drive them away fromthe window, were smiling.
"You're coming home with us!" announced Freddie, taking the boy's hand.
"For Thanksgiving," added Flossie. "Course it isn't Thanksgiving yet,but we want to feel good when it does come, so we're going to feed younow."
"Well, I'm hungry all right," sighed the ragged boy.
"So'm I," said his sister.
And so, hardly knowing what was going to happen, the ragged boy, whosaid his name was Dick, and his sister, who was Mary Thompson, went withthe little Bobbsey twins.
Mrs. Bobbsey was very much surprised when her little son and daughtercame up the steps, leading a strange ragged boy and girl.
"We brought them home for Thanksgiving, like Miss Pompret's going todo," said Freddie.
"So's to make us be more happier," added Flossie. "And we gave them ourtwo cents, so please can we have more? And they're hungry, Mother!"
Mrs. Bobbsey understood that it was the kind hearts of Flossie andFreddie that had brought all this about. So she welcomed the two strangechildren, and took them out to Dinah, who, you may be sure, fed themenough, and almost too much.
After that meal, which Dick said was the "best feed" he ever had eaten,and after Flossie and Freddie had finished watching their strange,ragged guests eat, Mrs. Bobbsey asked Dick and his sister somequestions.
She found out that they lived on the other side of town, that theirfather was dead, and that their mother did what she could for herchildren.
"Do you go to our school?" asked Freddie, during a pause in his mother'squestions. "We've a nice school, and our teacher's name is Miss Snell,and----"
"And Freddie locked a boy up in the tool shed 'cause he pulled myhair--I mean the bad boy pulled my hair," broke in Flossie.
"We don't go to school--our clothes is too ragged," said Mary, in a lowvoice.
"Never mind, my dear. Perhaps I can find some clothes for you thataren't quite so full of holes," offered Mrs. Bobbsey kindly. "Clotheswith holes in are fine for summer," she said, with a laugh, "but not sogood for winter. I'll see what I can find."
She found some good, half-worn garments belonging to the twins, and Dickand Mary took the clothes home. The result was that they appeared atschool the following Monday. But neither Flossie nor Freddie spoke oftheir mother having given the two fatherless children clothes to wear.
"Now we'll be happy for Thanksgiving; won't we, Freddie?" asked Flossie,when it was settled that Dick and Mary were to be taken care of.
"Yes," Freddie agreed. "And I hope we have a big turkey!"
"An' cranberry sauce!" added his sister.
There was a fine Thanksgiving dinner at the Bobbsey home, but the motherof the four twins did not forget the poor. She helped Miss Pompret withthat lady's Thanksgiving feast for those who were not fortunate enoughto have one of their own, and Mr. Bobbsey and some other good-heartedmen of Lakeport provided money so that the Salvation Army could feed anumber of hungry men who were out of work.
Still there was one reason why at least Flossie and Freddie, of theBobbsey family, were not quite happy that Thanksgiving day. And thereason was because there was no snow. The children had polished theirsleds, had wiped the rust off the runners, and were all ready for acoast. But without snow there can be no sleigh riding, and though theweather was cold, the sun shone from a cloudless sky, and Flossie andFreddie were much disappointed.
"Do you think it will ever snow, Mother?" asked Flossie for about thetwentieth time.
"And will there be ice so I can skate?" Freddie wanted to know.
"Well, my dears, there will be snow and ice, surely, in a little while,"answered Mrs. Bobbsey. "But when I can not say. You must be patient.Think of your blessings, as Uncle William would say."
"I want to have some fun," complained Freddie. "Oh, look!" he suddenlycried, coming back to the window away from which he had started to go.
"What is it?" asked Flossie.
"It's our cat--Snoop! A big dog just came along and Snoop ran up thetree. Now he can't get down!"
"Oh, of course Snoop can get down out of a tree," said Nan. "He's oftenclimbed up and down before."
But this time Snoop did not come down. Whether he had been too muchfrightened by the dog, or whether he was afraid of falling if he startedto come down backward out of the tree, I don't know. But Snoop stayed upon a limb, where he cried pitifully.
"I'll get him down," offered Bert. "I can climb out on that limb fromour front porch roof. I've done it before."
Bert went upstairs, climbed out on the porch roof, and a little laterwas over in the tree where Snoop was perched.
"Mew! Mew!" dismally cried the cat.
"I'm coming to get you," said Bert, kindly. "Wait a minute, Snoop!"
From the ground Flossie, Freddie and Nan watched Bert make his way outon a limb toward Snoop. And then, all of a sudden, there was a cracking,breaking sound and Bert cried:
"Oh, I'm falling! I'm going to fall!"
The Bobbsey Twins at Cedar Camp Page 5
